Published: 06/07/2025
Some forty of us visited Buckden Towers and Kimbolton Castle recently. Both places have evolved and developed over time and both housed Katherine of Aragon in the final stage of her life.
Buckden Towers was originally the palace of the bishops of Lincoln and some of the Tudor buildings from those days survive. It is now a centre for Claretian missionaries. Since the time of the bishops, restoration, new building and the passage of time have all left their mark.
A traditional example of his work is the Katherine of Aragon window, commemorating her stay. By contrast are the vibrant colours of his more modern work. This includes the swirling pattern of the Resurrection Window and multi-coloured side windows with a cascade of glass in various bright colours.
Paul Quail, who died in 2010, went to art school and qualified as an art teacher before serving stained glass apprenticeships. He then both taught and created stained glass and examples of his work can be found in this country and abroad.
He was elected a fellow of the British Society of Master Glass Painters and was also a member of Christian Arts and the Society of Catholic Artists.
His wife, writing a memorial piece in the Guardian of 21st October 2010,said he "worked only with handmade glass, and his designs, both figurative and abstract, usually had a biblical or theological concept".
After visiting Buckden, we went on to Kimbolton Castle and had a guided tour from Andrew Bamford, who taught history at the school there for thirty seven years. The castle was until 1950 the home of the dukes of Manchester since when it has housed Kimbolton School. We saw how the earlier Tudor building was transformed by Vanburgh, Hawksmoor and Robert Adam and decorated with murals by Pellegrini. As with Buckden Towers, restoration, new building and the passage of time have all left their mark.
